The Rushkoff Concurrence
Another Train, Another Mystery
It was 1998, and I was on the late night underground train, traveling home from West to East London. Sitting opposite me was a young woman intently reading a rather battered paperback. She glanced up from the book and smiled, and asked me if I’d like a piece of the cling film wrapped hashish that she’d just scored. I declined her offer, but asked what she was reading. ‘This book is amazing,’ she said, ‘It’s by Douglas Rushkoff - are you familiar with his work?’ I admitted that I wasn’t, but we got into a conversation that lasted a few stops until we reached our destinations; we both said farewell after exchanging phone numbers.
A few nights later we met up in town for a drink, she was very attractive and strangely mysterious. I’ll call her Clio, a Greek name which relates to her ethnicity. We hit it off over dinner in an Italian restaurant, and she wanted to come back to my place in the East End. In reflection my home probably looked a bit ominous, because I lived in a 100 year old converted church, and it made a rather imposing silhouette against the night skies of East London.
After entering my apartment she uttered a sentence that is indelibly etched into my comic reader’s brain. ‘Face it tiger… You just hit the jackpot!’ She announced. This took me completely by surprise, until I realized she was quoting from a framed enlargement of the famous Mary Jane Watson meets Peter Parker panel (The Amazing Spider-Man #42) that I’d had hanging in my hallway for the past few years.
Clio, remained mysterious, and remained at my place for the next three days. I learned nothing about her, except that she was Greek, she was traveling, and she really liked to get stoned and read books by Douglas Rushkoff.
A week after I got my apartment back to myself I had a call from Grant Morrison. He told me he was coming down to London to give a reading from Disco 2000, a book he’d just contributed to. The event was to be held in a well known nightclub called The Blue Note in Hoxton Square, so he suggested putting me on the guest list and meeting me there. I told him I’d bring my camera and I also asked if he could arrange a plus one for Clio. Of course he said yes, and we arranged to meet a couple of days later at 9pm.
A couple of days later at 4pm, Grant called and said he’d just booked into a hotel in Russell Square and he was there with Victoria, his girlfriend at the time, and a friend he’d just bumped into from New York. They’d opened the champagne, and suggested I join them for drinks, after which we could all get a cab to Hoxton together. I liked the sound of that, so I agreed to make my way over, but first I called Clio to arrange meeting her outside the Blue Note at 9pm.
A couple of changes on the underground system, and I reached the hotel by about six o’clock. I made my way up to Grant’s hotel room and knocked on the door. A friendly but unfamiliar face opened it and extended a handshake. He said, ‘Steve? I nodded yes, and he said ‘Hi, my name’s Doug… Doug Rushkoff.
Now this was obviously one of those WTF?!? moments, because knowing that I’d be turning up to meet Clio, with Grant, Victoria and Douglas Rushkoff, was just one coincidence too many. I mean, if I’d ever attempted to organize such a thing, it would be nigh on friggin’ impossible!
Anyway, as proof that this insanely synchronistic event actually happened, I present a few photos from that very night. This is us in a (thankfully) dry jacuzzi in Grant’s hotel room, and a shot of Grant reading from Disco 2000.
Needless to say, Clio was speechless on our arrival and looked completely phased when I introduced her to everyone, but after the initial shock of it all, we had a really good evening, and the night was over way too soon.
Less than a week later I called Clio’s number and the landline was completely dead. I never saw, nor heard from her again. I have a photo of us all at The Blue Note in my negative files back in London, so I know she existed, but Clio remains another of life’s little mysteries and the catalyst for yet another bloody weird coincidence.
Also...Disco 2000 and 'she came from Greece and had a thirst for knowledge '...2 of Jarvis' finest